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| Zimmerman lowers ERA at High-A | Friday 4/18, 11:58 PM CT |
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Jordan Zimmerman lowered his ERA to 0.61 at High-A Potomac after throwing five scoreless innings on Friday. He allowed three hits, two walks and struck out six.
Our View: Control has been an issue for Zimmerman, but the 2007 second-round pick is continuing where he left off during his pro debut at Low-A last season. The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point product is emerging as a solid pitching prospect for the Nationals. |
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| Boone hits a pair of homers for Altoona | Friday 4/18, 11:57 PM CT |
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James Boone went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs for Double-A Altoona on Friday.
Our View: Boone is by no means an elite prospect, but the Mizzou alum is hitting .333-4-7 this season with 11 walks. He struggled with injuries last season but ended up hitting .281-10-51 with eight steals in fewer than 300 at-bats between Low-A and High-A. He still shows some potential as a fourth outfielder. |
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| Gaudin pitches a gem | Friday 4/18, 11:57 PM CT |
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Chad Gaudin hurled a gem on Friday night as he walked one, with eight K, on his way to holding the Royals to just one run in seven innings to pick up his first victory of the season.
Our View: Gaudin looked superb against the Royals all evening as he turned around what had been a rough start to his season. |
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| Bannister loses first game | Friday 4/18, 11:55 PM CT |
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Brian Bannister had his worst outing of the season as he fell to 3-1 thanks to allowing five runs in five innings to the A's. Bannister walked only one batter on the night, but he also had only one K as he permitted nine hits.
Our View: Bannister isn't anywhere near as good a hurler as he has been in the early going, so it's not surprising to see him struggle a bit tonight. Look for more uneven work from Bannister moving forward as he will struggle when his control is even slightly off. |
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| Francisco closing for Oklahoma | Friday 4/18, 11:55 PM CT |
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Former chair-thrower Frank Francisco converted his fourth save of the season at Triple-A Oklahoma on Friday.
Our View: Francisco could be helping the Rangers right now, but instead he is mowing down Triple-A hitters. He has not allowed a run this season in seven appearances, and he has an impressive 14/3 K/BB ratio in eight innings. Francisco’s career has not gotten completely back on track since Tommy John surgery and an unfortunate chair throwing incident in Oakland, but he still has the stuff to pitch at the end of games in the majors. |
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| Duncan hits two over the fence | Friday 4/18, 11:53 PM CT |
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Eric Duncan hit his first two home runs of the season for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday.
Our View: There’s a blast from the past. The former first-round pick was one of the most highly regarded third base prospects in the game at one time, but he has never hit in the upper minors. He is off to another slow start this season hitting just .235, but he is still only 23-years-old. |
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| Ex Royals hammer old team | Friday 4/18, 11:53 PM CT |
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Emil Brown went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI against his former Royals mates. Mike Sweeney, also a former Royal, had three hits and two runs scored as well.
Our View: A great night for these two who for one night showed the Royals that they shouldn't have given up on the duo. |
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| Carter picks up five hits | Friday 4/18, 11:52 PM CT |
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Chris Carter went 5-for-6 with three RBI on Friday for Triple-A Pawtucket.
Our View: Carter, a former first base prospect with the Diamondbacks, is making a switch to left field. He has been a hitting and on-base machine at every minor league level, but there have always been questions about his defense. He is hitting .344 this season and hit .316-19-88 last season between Double-A and Triple-A, so someone will probably find a spot for him to play, even if the Red Sox don’t have room. |
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| Kozma hits a long ball | Friday 4/18, 11:51 PM CT |
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Cardinals 2007 first-round draft choice Pete Kozma went 2-for-5 with his first home run for Low-A Quad Cities on Friday. He is hitting .327-1-5 this season.
Our View: Kozma is off to a nice start. He seems to have very good offensive potential if he sticks at shortstop, though he played at third base on Friday. It will be a while before we hear about the 20-year-old in the major league conversation, though. |
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| Crosby knocks in five runs | Friday 4/18, 11:51 PM CT |
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Bobby Crosby continued his healthy start to the 2008 season as he went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and five RBI for the A's.
Our View: All Crosby needs to do to be productive is to stay healthy, but that has been something he has been unable to do since 2004, the last time he suited up in more than 96 games. |
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| Sexson blasts two home runs | Friday 4/18, 11:48 PM CT |
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Richie Sexson had his best game of the season on Friday night with two hits, two runs and four RBI for the Mariners. Both hits were home runs.
Our View: Sexson is still struggling along at .237, but this outing doubled his home run total to four and pushed his RBI mark up to 13. |
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| Joyce hits fifth home run | Friday 4/18, 11:48 PM CT |
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Matthew Joyce hit his fifth home run of the season at Triple-A on Friday. He is now hitting .298-5-14 this season.
Our View: Joyce was not a great outfield prospect entering the season, but he is off to a fast start offensively. We probably should not hope for too much considering that he hit only .257-17-70 at Double-A last season, but his early performance should make the Tigers feel better about their depth. |
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| Hunter has three hits, three RBI | Friday 4/18, 11:47 PM CT |
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Torii Hunter battled through some minor stiffness he picked up in a pregame car accident as he had three hits and three RBI for the Angels.
Our View: Hunter has been everything that the Angels could have hoped for in the early going with a .323 average and 11 RBI to help to solidify the middle of the batting order behind Vlad Guerrero. |
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| K-Rod earns 7th save | Friday 4/18, 11:45 PM CT |
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Despite his early season struggles with health and performance, Francisco Rodriguez still picked up his seventh save on Friday night for the Angels.
Our View: K-Rod allowed one hit in his lone inning as he needed 14 pitches to pick up three outs. |
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| Perez has big night for Durham | Friday 4/18, 11:42 PM CT |
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Fernando Perez went 3-for-5 and was just a home run away from hitting for the cycle on Friday for Triple-A Durham. He also added his fifth steal of the season.
Our View: Perez has plenty of major league potential, but he is raw in several areas offensively. He struck out 104 times in 393 at-bats last season and had a poor 64 percent stolen base success rate at Double-A (32-for-50). Still, the Columbia University alum has shown the on-base skills and athleticism to be an interesting player at the highest level. |
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| Bergmann clobbered at Triple-A | Friday 4/18, 11:41 PM CT |
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Jason Bergmann allowed four runs on six hits in three innings to earn the loss in his first Triple-A start since being demoted from Washington.
Our View: He struggled against a decent Durham lineup, but this is still a bad sign. The Nationals had reason to demote him, and it does not look like he will be making his way back anytime soon. |
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| Haren now 3-0 | Friday 4/18, 11:31 PM CT |
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For the first time in four outings Dan Haren pitched more than six innings, he went seven tonight, and he held the Padres scoreless on just three hits and a walk to pick up his third victory of the season.
Our View: Haren continues his dominating start to the season with a 1.80 ERA through 25 innings during which time he has permitted only 18 hits and four walks. |
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| Maddux bombed by D'backs | Friday 4/18, 11:29 PM CT |
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Greg Maddux was torched on Friday after three great outings as he allowed 13 hits and nine runs in seven innings against the Diamondbacks.
Our View: Maddux will have outings like this from time to time when his pitches bite off too much of the strikezone, but he actually pitched quite well after allowing six runs in the first inning. |
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| Jackson matches career high | Friday 4/18, 11:27 PM CT |
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Conor Jackson tied his career-high with four hits on Friday including his third home run of the season for the D'backs. Jackson also scored three times with four RBI on the night.
Our View: Conor is off to a tremendous start to the campaign hitting .364-3-17 in just 14 games for Arizona. Perhaps those pundits who predicted a breakout this season knew what they were talking about. |
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| Lewis starting to show skills | Friday 4/18, 11:24 PM CT |
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Fred Lewis stole his first base of the season and had a hit and RBI for the Giants in their loss to the Cardinals.
Our View: Lewis is a lower tier mixed league option in the outfield, but if the Giants continue to run him out there every day in the leadoff role, his value could grow. |
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| Duncan thriving in St. Louis | Friday 4/18, 11:22 PM CT |
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Chris Duncan was 2-for-3 with three runs scored, two RBI and two walks on Friday night.
Our View: Duncan continues to thrive in the number two spot in the Cardinals order, and as long as he continues to hit in front of Albert Pujols, that figures to continue. |
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| Pujols knocks in four runs | Friday 4/18, 11:21 PM CT |
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Albert Pujols hit a 3-run home run on Friday on his way to four RBI for the Cardinals.
Our View: Pujols just keeps on hitting in the early going as he is batting .375-4-14 through 17 games. |
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| Wellemeyer lowers ERA to 3.24 | Friday 4/18, 11:20 PM CT |
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Todd Wellemeyer continues to make Dave Duncan look like a genius as he held the Giants to just one run over seven innings to pick up win number two on the season.
Our View: Sure this was the Giants he defeated, but still, he looked solid once again as he allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out six. |
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| Cain torched by Cards | Friday 4/18, 11:18 PM CT |
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Matt Cain was torched by the Cardinals a week after he held them hitless for six innings as he gave up a career worst nine runs in just 3.2 innings on the night. Cain permitted two home runs amongst the eight hits he allowed and he also walked three batters in his second loss of the season.
Our View: Cain just didn't have it tonight as he threw plenty of fastballs in the 86-89 mph range. It's been a rough start to the season as he has 19 K and 15 BB in the early going. |
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| Sampson beaten for six runs | Friday 4/18, 11:15 PM CT |
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Chris Sampson was hammered on Friday for six runs on six hits and two walks to pick up his second loss.
Our View: So much for his solid start to the season. Sampson is an average pitcher who doesn't put away enough hitters, so he should only be active when the matchup is right. |
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| Pence finally puts together a few hits | Friday 4/18, 11:13 PM CT |
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Hunter Pence, mired in a brutal start to the season which saw him enter the night hitting .161, went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI on Friday.
Our View: Pence has been a shadow of his fantasy relevant self of last season, but we are still talking about just a couple of weeks here so give him some time to hit his way out of it. |
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| Tulo finally has big night | Friday 4/18, 11:09 PM CT |
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Looking to find his stroke after a brutal start to the season, Troy Tulowitzki had two hits, two runs and three RBI on Friday.
Our View: Even after all of that Tulo is still hitting just .185 with six RBI through 15 games, but Rome wasn't built in a day so he has to start somewhere. |
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| Atkins has three RBI | Friday 4/18, 11:07 PM CT |
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Garrett Atkins had a big night on Friday as he went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored for the Rockies.
Our View: One of those hits was a home run, and Atkins now has a more Atkins like line after a rough start to the season (.313-2-10). |
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| Blake hits first HR | Friday 4/18, 11:03 PM CT |
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Casey Blake hit his first home run of the season on Friday as he had two hits, scored a run, and knocked in three in the Indians victory over the Twins.
Our View: Blake needed this outing really badly as he entered the game hitting just .152. Look for him to use this as a spring board to some more productive AB. |
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| Morneau held hitless | Friday 4/18, 11:00 PM CT |
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Justin Morneau went 0-for-3 on Friday night to drop his average to .241 for the Twins.
Our View: Morneau does have four home runs and 13 RBI, but his average has been on the wane dating back to last seaso =n as he is hitting just .242 over his last 326 AB. |
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| Liriano dealt second loss | Friday 4/18, 10:58 PM CT |
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Francisco Liriano was a little bit better in his second start, but he still allowed four hits and five BB in just five innings to fall to 0-2. Liriano allowed three runs on the night as well.
Our View: Liriano is having trouble throwing strikes and controlling the strike zone, and until his control returns he will be nothing more than an average major league hurler. The control should return, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon, so continue to be careful with him. |
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| Lee dominated Twins | Friday 4/18, 10:55 PM CT |
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Cliff Lee continued his dominating start to the season with eight innings of two hit ball to pick up his third victory of the season against zero defeats. Lee has allowed a total of one earned run in 22.2 innings, a 0.40 ERA, and he has 20 K and just two BB on the season.
Our View: Wow. Let us say that again. Wow. Lee simply cannot keep up this pace, but with the way he is pitching now he has already marked himself as the best waiver-wire pick up in the AL in the early going. |
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| Thome hits 511th HR | Friday 4/18, 10:52 PM CT |
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Jim Thome hit the 511 HR of his career on Friday night as he plated three RBI in the White Sox win over the Rays.
Our View: Thome has two HR and six RBI in his last three games as he seems to have found his home run stroke. Another season of 30-HR seems likely for the ageless slugger. |
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| Upton has two more hits | Friday 4/18, 10:50 PM CT |
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B.J. Upton had two hits and a run scored on Friday night for the Rays from the third spot in the lineup.
Our View: Upton has an entirely too high 15 K on the season, but he also has 10 BB which helps to offset the swings and misses. |
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| Niemann falls in second start | Friday 4/18, 10:48 PM CT |
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Jeff Niemann wasn't able to match his strong first start as he allowed eight runs, five earned, in just 3.1 innings on Friday night to pick up the loss.
Our View: Neimann is nothing more than an AL Only starter at this point, and even that is a questionable play given that he has allowed three home runs and 11 hits in just 9.1 innings so far. |
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| Vazquez wins third straight | Friday 4/18, 10:44 PM CT |
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Javier Vazquez won his third straight start on Friday night to improve to 3-1 thanks to allowing only two runs over 6.1 innings. Vazquez allowed six hits and one walk on the night.
Our View: Vazquez got some publicity after his solid season last year, but he still doesn't get all the love he should as a consistent strike out producing, WHIP lowering starter. |
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| Renteria knocks in three runs | Friday 4/18, 10:41 PM CT |
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Edgar Renteria hit his second home run of the season on Friday night as he had two hits, three RBI and a run scored for the Tigers.
Our View: With this outing Renteria's batting average inched over .300, and his 12 RBI are a solid total for a hitter in the bottom third of the order. |
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| Cabrera contributes across the board | Friday 4/18, 10:37 PM CT |
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Miguel Cabrera had two hits, an RBI, a run scored and his first steal of the season on Friday night for the Tigers.
Our View: Cabrera is rounding nicely into form as he now has 12 RBI and a .283 batting average after struggling a bit in the early going. No shock there, he is one of the best hitters in the game. |
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| Barajas goes deep | Friday 4/18, 10:25 PM CT |
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Rod Barajas hit his first home run of the season on Friday night as his average improved to .316.
Our View: Greg Zahn still appears to be in line for the majority of work behind the plate, but if he continues to hit near his current .239 mark, Barajas could find himself with a few more AB moving forward. |
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| Accardo lost on the hill | Friday 4/18, 10:24 PM CT |
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Jeremy Accardo had another rough outing on Friday night as he picked up his second blown save and third loss after allowing three runs, two earned, to the Tigers.
Our View: Accardo now sports a 10.29 ERA through eight appearances, and he has to be considered a dubious option to be called on to pick up a save when B.J. Ryan is not available. For those of you looking to vulture saves, you might want to keep the name of Scott Downs in mind. |
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| Rogers picks up first win | Friday 4/18, 10:21 PM CT |
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Kenny Rogers won his first game since last July as he worked 6.2 innings and limited the Blue Jays to four runs on three hits and four walks.
Our View: Rogers just needs to keep the game close to allow the Tigers time to mount some offense, but his ratio's are going to be borderline 'hide the children' territory, so you are really going to have to pay for those victories. |
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| Ortiz hits salami | Friday 4/18, 10:19 PM CT |
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David Ortiz hit a grand slam on Friday night as he drove in five runs in the Red Sox 11-3 victory over the Rangers.
Our View: Ortiz is still hitting only .134, but he now has nine RBI on the year. The hits will come, just continue to have patience with Ortiz. |
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| Mendoza beaten by Boston | Friday 4/18, 10:18 PM CT |
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Luis Mendoza had another rough outing in his second start as he permitted the Red Sox to score seven runs in just three innings as he picked up his second loss of the year.
Our View: The youngster certainly has stuff, but he has allowed 19 base runners in just eight innings, and there is no way anyone can be successful with numbers like that. |
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| Dice-K improves to 4-0 | Friday 4/18, 10:16 PM CT |
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Daisuke Matsuzaka moved to 4-0 on the season thanks to allowing the Rangers to score only three runs in 5.1 innings. Dice-K only struck out four batters but he also allowed only two BB and five hits on the night.
Our View: Dice-K continues to do just enough to pick up the win each time out, even if he continues to allow a few more base runners than is ideal. He could easily improve upon last years 15 wins with that offense. |
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| Ellsbury scores three times | Friday 4/18, 10:13 PM CT |
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Jacoby Ellsbury is only hitting .229 on the year, but he continues to play while Coco Crisp is sidelined with a leg injury, and he scored three times thanks to a hit and three walks on Friday.
Our View: Ellsbury needs to hit better than .229 if he hopes to garner 400+ AB this season, but perhaps this night will be the start of good things as he now has 11 BB and only four K on the season. |
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| Kinlser already has 6 SB | Friday 4/18, 10:11 PM CT |
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Ian Kinsler had a hit and an RBI on Friday night but he also swiped his sixth base on the young season for the Rangers.
Our View: Kinsler went 10/10 as a rookie and upped that to 20/20 last year, and though he has failed to go deep yet, he appears on his way to possibly swiping 30 bases this season. |
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| Bradley extends hit streak to 13 | Friday 4/18, 10:09 PM CT |
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Milton Bradley went 1-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 13 games for the Rangers. Bradley also scored his seventh run in the game.
Our View: Bradley is hitting a very empty .352 on the year with only four RBI and no HR through 54 AB, but he has been on the field and hitting, so consider yourself lucky if you drafted the oft-injured Bradley. |
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| Blalock hits HR in first game back | Friday 4/18, 10:07 PM CT |
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Hank Blalock had two hits, including his third home run, and two RBI on Friday night for the Rangers.
Our View: So much for Blalock needing a trip to the DL. He will continue to be an injury concern until he proves he can stay healthy for 140+ games, but Blalock is off to a solid start to the season. |
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| Lowe loses to Braves | Friday 4/18, 10:05 PM CT |
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Derek Lowe allowed 12 baserunners, eight hits and four BB, in just 4.1 innings on Friday night as he picked up his first loss of the year. Lower was beaten for five runs, three earned, on the night.
Our View: Lowe periodically has outings like this when the balls don't find the fielders, but even with this outing his ERA still sits at 2.59 through four starts. |
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| Martin can't find stroke | Friday 4/18, 10:02 PM CT |
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Russell Martin fell to .196 on the year thanks to an 0-for-3 outing on Friday night in which he was also thrown out on the bases.
Our View: Martin also limped home to end last season and now has just three HR with eight RBI while hitting just .234 over his last 40 games. Its' not time to panic, but it's certainly time to be concerned. |
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| Pierre over .300 | Friday 4/18, 9:59 PM CT |
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Juan Pierre didn't start on Friday night, but he entered the game late, went 1-for-1 with an RBI, and stole his third base of the season.
Our View: Pierre is now hitting .303 overall thanks to a nine hits in his last 18 AB. With Andruw Jones hitting .167, things continue to be interesting in the Dodgers outfield. |
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| Teixeira continues to struggle | Friday 4/18, 9:57 PM CT |
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Mark Teixeira went 1-for-5 with a run scored on Friday night be he is still limping along with a .203 average and just seven RBI through 16 games.
Our View: Tex has always been known as a slow starter, but this is ridiculous. Mark is hitting under .150 against left-handed pitching this season, and that is one of the main culprits for his terrible start. |
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| Jones hottest hitter in the game | Friday 4/18, 9:54 PM CT |
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Chipper Jones hit two home runs for the second straight game and knocked in four runs for the Braves on Friday night.
Our View: Jones is unconscious right now hitting .455 with six HR and 18 RBI in 16 games, and he is once again proving why talk of the HOF is 100% accurate. |
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| Cano not hitting his weight | Friday 4/18, 9:51 PM CT |
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Robinson Cano went 1-for-4 on Friday as he continues to be mired in a miserable start to the 2008 season.
Our View: Cano is hitting only .171 through 70 AB in an extremely sluggish start to the season. The guy has one of the sweetest swings in the game and owns a career .312 batting average, so pity the pitchers he will face when he gets his groove back. |
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| Markakis hitting despite few RBI | Friday 4/18, 9:49 PM CT |
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Nick Markakis had two more hits on Friday night to up his average to .328 from the third hole in the Orioles lineup.
Our View: Even with all that hitting, Markakis has just eight RBI through 17 games as there just haven't been that many hitters on base when teams have chosen to pitch to Nick. |
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| Scott continues to produce hits | Friday 4/18, 9:47 PM CT |
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Luke Scott picked up his 8th RBI of the season thanks to two hits on Friday night. Scott also scored two runs and his average now sits at .389.
Our View: Scott continues to be everything the Orioles hoped for as he has been hitting and getting on base at almost 50% of the time. |
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| Hughes cruises, then falls apart | Friday 4/18, 9:45 PM CT |
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Phil Hughes allowed only one run his first five innings on Friday, but the Orioles exploded for four runs against him in the sixth inning to send him to his third loss of the year. Hughes permitted eight hits and two walks on the night while picking up only one K.
Our View: As is the case with young hurlers, things can go from great to poor very quickly. Hughes doesn't appear to be in danger of losing his starting spot quite yet, but no one in pinstripes can be very happy with a 8.82 ERA after four starts. |
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| Cabrera holds Yankees down | Friday 4/18, 9:42 PM CT |
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Daniel Cabrera was on his game on Friday night as he permitted just two runs in six innings to pick up his first win of the year against the Yankees. Cabrera allowed five hits and only two BB on the night.
Our View: When Cabrera throws the ball in the strike zone and trusts his stuff, outings like this one are common place. Unfortunately, the norm is nothing like this and more often than not he pounds the backstop with his pitches. |
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| Hanley steals two bases | Friday 4/18, 9:37 PM CT |
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Hanley Ramirez had a hit and scored two runs for the Marlins on Friday, but it was the two SB he picked up that caught everyone's attention.
Our View: Ramirez doubled his SB output tonight, though he has still attempted only four steals in 16 games. He will need to run a lot more than this to have any shot at a third straight 50-SB season. |
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| Hermida turns around mini-slump | Friday 4/18, 9:35 PM CT |
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Jeremy Hermida had two hits on Friday night with a run scored and two RBI for the Marlins.
Our View: This was nice to see after Hermida was 0-for-7 the past two nights. Hermida figures to be a solid source of production in the counting categories if he can stay on the field long enough to accrue the AB. |
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| Miller picks up no-decision | Friday 4/18, 9:33 PM CT |
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Andrew Miller had his best outing of the season as he held the Nationals to only three runs in five innings. Miller picked up the no-decision as he allowed six hits and two walks while picking up three K.
Our View: Better, but still a long ways from great. This start should at least quiet talk that Miller will be sent to the minors, but he continues to be on the edge of being a recommended play even in NL Only leagues. |
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| Lopez makes the most of start | Friday 4/18, 9:31 PM CT |
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Felipe Lopez had three hits, scored two runs, and stole his third base of the season on Friday for the Nationals.
Our View: Lopez will also start on Saturday for the Nats, and if he continues to cause havoc at the plate and on the bases, one would figure that he would continue to find his way into the lineup on a very consistent basis. |
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| Redding strikes out 10 Marlins | Friday 4/18, 9:29 PM CT |
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Tim Redding struck out 10 batters on Friday night to help him earn his third victory of the season. Redding allowed only three hits and one walk on the night, though he still permitted the Marlins to score four runs in his six innings on the hill.
Our View: Redding entered the game with only seven K and eight BB in 16 innings, so tonight was quite the change. Redding has vaulted himself to being a solid starter in NL Only leagues, but he should still be nothing more than a spot starter in mixed leagues. |
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| Nick Johnson has four RBI | Friday 4/18, 9:26 PM CT |
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Nick Johnson had a big night on Friday as he drove in four runs thanks to two hits against the Marlins.
Our View: Johnson is only hitting .275 so far this year, but the best news is that he is healthy and has already played in 17 games on the year. With Dimitri Young still dealing with health issues, look for Johnson to continue to pile up the AB. |
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| Hall blasts 6th HR | Friday 4/18, 9:24 PM CT |
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Bill Hall went deep for the sixth time on Friday night as he also knocked in his 12th and 13th runs of the season.
Our View: Hall still is hitting a poor .210, and he picked up two more K tonight giving him 20 in 16 games, so until he puts the bat on the ball with more frequency his average figures to be below par. |
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| Phillips back in the groove | Friday 4/18, 9:21 PM CT |
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Brandon Phillips came back from his day off on Thursday to pick up two hits and a run scored on Friday night. He was also thrown out for the second time on the bases trying to steal.
Our View: Phillips has only one home run and five RBI through 16 games so he has a long road to travel to justify the faith of those who chose him in the top-25 picks this season. |
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| Arroyo loses to Brewers | Friday 4/18, 9:19 PM CT |
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Bronson Arroyo had another rough outing on Friday as he fell to 0-2 thanks to allowing five runs, four earned, in 5.2 innings.
Our View: Arroyo allowed eight hits and three walks on the night, and he has now allowed a scary high 27 hits in just 21.1 innings on the season. Face it, he is nothing more than a slightly above average hurler at this point. |
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| Gagne picks up 5th save | Friday 4/18, 9:17 PM CT |
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Eric Gagne came in to pick up his fifth save of the season on Friday night for the Brewers. Gagne allowed a hit, but he also picked up both outs on strike outs.
Our View: Gagne may not always get it done the way you are used to, but he continues to be just good enough on most days to get the job done. He has nine K and only two BB on the year which seems to signal that his stuff is still good enough to be successful if he can stay healthy. |
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| Howard falls below .200 | Friday 4/18, 9:14 PM CT |
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Ryan Howard continued his awful start to the season by going 0-for-4 to lower his season average to .197 on Friday night.
Our View: Howard was hitting .222 after 35 games last season but still managed to hit .268 on the year. Howard does have four home runs this year, but he needs to do more than pop the odd long ball to produce as he should. |
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| Utley hits fifth long ball | Friday 4/18, 9:12 PM CT |
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Chase Utley hit his fifth home run of the season and pushed across his 12th run with the long ball on Friday night.
Our View: Utley continues to be extremely productive even though a few of his mates continue to struggle with putting up big numbers on offense. |
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| Church has found a home | Friday 4/18, 9:10 PM CT |
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Ryan Church had two hits and three runs scored on Friday night against the Phillies.
Our View: Church seems to have found a home in the second spot in the order as he is 6-for-18, .333, since moving into that spot in the order. |
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| Wright has four hits | Friday 4/18, 9:08 PM CT |
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David Wright went 4-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI to up his season average to .333.
Our View: So much for the slow start. Wright now has 17 RBI through 15 games including 10 in his last six starts. A top-10 fantasy season seems in the cards, baring injury, for the Mets third sacker. |
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| Hamels falls to Mets | Friday 4/18, 9:05 PM CT |
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Cole Hamels fell to 2-2 on the season as he allowed five runs, four earned, on Friday night. Hamels stuck out only four Mets on the night as he allowed eight hits and three BB.
Our View: Hamels owns a 1.86 ERA through four starts for the Phillies, but he just didn't have his best stuff tonight. |
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| Santana strikes out 10 | Friday 4/18, 9:04 PM CT |
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Johan Santana was on his game on Friday night as he struck out 10 Phillies on his way to picking up his second victory of the season. Santana didn't walk a single batter and permitted just four hits and three runs on the night.
Our View: Santana out-dueled Cole Hamels in a battle of top-flight LHP's. Santana now has 28 K in 27.2 innings with just four BB on the year as he is starting to establish himself in the orange and blue. |
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| Kazmir's arm feel good after start | Friday 4/18, 8:49 PM CT |
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Scott Kazmir made his rehab start on Friday and reported that his arm felt well after the game, this according to the AP. “I got all my pitches in, worked on all my pitches, and it felt good for the most part,” said Kazmir.
Our View: Kazmir threw 30 of his 47 pitches for strikes and allowed only one run over the three inning outing. Unless he suffers another setback, Kazmir is in line to make his first start on May 3rd. |
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| Glavine placed on DL | Friday 4/18, 8:46 PM CT |
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Tom Glavine was placed on the DL for the first time in his 22-year career on Friday due to his injured hamstring, this according to the AP.
Our View: Glavine doesn't figure to be in for a long DL stint, this move is retroactive to April 14th, so a return should come by the end of the month. Still, one has to worry about Glavine's effectiveness moving forward even if his leg is healthy. |
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| Hunter OK after car accident | Friday 4/18, 8:24 PM CT |
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Torii Hunter was involved in a car accident on Friday night when he was rear ended, this according to the AP. The good new is that he is no worse for the wear. “My Bentley!” Hunter said. “I tried to treat myself a couple of weeks ago, and look what happened. I think somebody was trying to tell me something—that car’s not that important.”
Our View: Hunter said he had a little stiffness in his neck and back, but he said it was the same way he feels when he crashes into a wall to make one of his highlight reel grabs. |
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| Sheets removed with arm tighness | Friday 4/18, 8:18 PM CT |
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Ben Sheets was removed from his start on Friday after five innings due to tightness in his right triceps, this according to the AP.
Our View: Sheets threw 60 pitches and allowed just two singles in five innings, but this is decidedly bad news for a guy who has long been hampered by injuries. If he needs a trip to the DL, the Brewers could simply activate Yovani Gallardo to take his spot. |
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| Lopez continues to pick up AB | Friday 4/18, 8:01 PM CT |
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Felipe Lopez may not be a starter with the Nationals anymore, but he continues to pick up at-bats thanks to a positive attitude and an ability to play multiple positions, this according to MLB.com. "We're struggling offensively and he's one of those guys who could get involved and maybe make things happen for us," manager Manny Acta said.
Our View: Lopez is starting at second base on Friday, and will play shortstop on Saturday. Too bad he is hitting just .194 in the early going, but his versatility still gives him value in NL Only leagues. |
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| Posada still limited to hitting | Friday 4/18, 7:47 PM CT |
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Jorge Posada tested his injured shoulder on Friday but it was determined that he wouldn't start at catcher on Friday and that he may not be back in the lineup on Saturday either, this according to MLB.com. "We'll see," manager Joe Girardi said. "It's day-to-day. I just believe one day he'll say, 'It's back.' But we're not at that day yet."
Our View: Posada has been limited to DH duties of late, though he does have a 7-game hitting streak going at the moment despite just a .268 batting average. |
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| Klesko retires | Friday 4/18, 7:43 PM CT |
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Ryan Klesko officially announced his retirement according to his agent Joe Sambito on Friday, this according to the AP.
Our View: Klesko ends his career as a .279 hitter with 278 HR and 987 RBI, and his best season was 2001 when he hit .286-30-113-105-23 for the Padres. We wish him well in retirement. |
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| Reyes takes knee to the head | Friday 4/18, 7:16 PM CT |
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Jose Reyes took a shot to the head from the knee of Phillies shortstop Eric Bruntlett in the third inning on Friday night during a SB attempt, but he was able to remain in the game after a long pause, this according to the NY Post.
Our View: Reyes was able to stay in and he eventually scored later in the inning. Stay tuned for further updates. |
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| Young back in the lineup | Friday 4/18, 7:13 PM CT |
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Michael Young returned to the Rangers lineup on Friday night after missing just one game because of a sore calf muscle, this according to MLB.com. "I feel great," Young said. "I think yesterday I could have played, pretty sure I could have gone..."
Our View: Young is off to another one of his slow starts hitting just .234 in 64 AB, but the perennial 200-hit shortstop still has plenty of time left to rack up the hits. |
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| Blalock returns to lineup | Friday 4/18, 7:10 PM CT |
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Hank Blalock returned to the lineup on Friday ending fears that a back injury might force him to the DL, this according to MLB.com. "I woke up this morning and everything felt real good, and I got a lot of treatments, so it loosened up."
Our View: Blalock is hitting .302 on the year and hopes to prove that his power bat has returned, though concerns about his health have dogged him in the early going. |
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| Overbay to bench on Friday | Friday 4/18, 7:07 PM CT |
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Lyle Overbay right hand is no longer an injury concern, but he is still being held out of the Jays lineup on Friday night as the team is facing left-hander Kenny Rogers, this according to MLB.com. "He's been scuffling a little bit," manager John Gibbons acknowledged. "He's just pulling off the ball. He's got to stay on it and take it to left-center field. He's coming off it just enough where he's cutting across the ball and it's keeping him from driving the ball."
Our View: Overbay is hitting a pretty hollow .271 on the year, he has no home runs and only five RBI, but he will need to pick up the production to avoid being relegated to the bench against certain hurlers. |
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| Matsui to make first start | Friday 4/18, 6:56 PM CT |
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Kazuo Matsui (anal fissure) will make his debut with the Astros on Friday night, this according to the Houston Chronicle. In order to make room on the roster the team designated Humberto Quintero for assigment, so they have 10 days to trade him, give him his release of place him on waivers.
Our View: Matsui will look to provide speed and the ability to get on base on the top of the order to allow the team's big boppers the opportunity to produce a bushel of runs. |
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| Pena on bench, available to pinch-hit | Friday 4/18, 6:53 PM CT |
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Carlos Pena won't be in the starting lineup on Friday because of his sore hamstring, but he will be available to pinch-hit, this according to MLB.com. "I went over my speed limit and got a ticket," Pena said. "MRI was negative, and I feel fine, you know. I think the only thing is to get rid of the tightness that's left and the soreness."
Our View: Pena hopes to serve as the DH on Saturday and he appears to have escaped any long-term damage to the hamstring for the moment, so keep him active in weekly leagues unless he suffers a setback. |
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| Kuo named 5th starter | Friday 4/18, 6:50 PM CT |
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Hong-Chih Kuo was named the Dodgers starter for next Tuesday night over Esteban Loaiza, this according to MLB.com. Manager Joe Torre said that the team hopes that Kuo can claim the 5th job full-time, because after four arm surgeries the team doesn't know if he could handle pitching out of the bullpen.
Our View: Loaiza will likely be the long men in the pen until, or if, Kuo is injured again, so for the moment, Kuo holds a slight advantage in the value department in NL Only leagues. |
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| Lo Duca's hand still bothering him | Friday 4/18, 6:45 PM CT |
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Paul Lo Duca felt some pain in his injured hand while hitting off a tee on Friday and as a result his return to the lineup will be delayed, this according to MLB.com.
Our View: Johnny Estrada will start on Friday a night after Will Nieves played, and the hope is that Lo Duca will be able to go at some point this weekend. |
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| Polanco back in lineup | Friday 4/18, 6:43 PM CT |
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Placido Polanco, out of the lineup on Thursday to rest a sore left hip flexor, is back in the lineup on Friday night, this according to MLB.com. Though he will play tonight, the plan is for Polanco to be out of the lineup on Saturday to avoid allowing the condition to linger.
Our View: After hitting .408 in the spring Polanco has slumped to just .154 in 52 regular season at-bats, so the team hopes that some rest in the short-term will allow his body to heal so that he can return to the .300 hitter that he is. |
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| Sweeney set to face Royals | Friday 4/18, 6:27 PM CT |
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